Tension-controlling apparatus.



A. COOK.

TENSION CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27, 1911.

1,033,546. Patented July 23,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. COOK. TENSION CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1911.

1,033,546; Patented July 23, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH couwAsmfla'roN D c M $3) ft/35w 500/1 J W" emu,

UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

ALBERT COOK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

TENSION-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT COOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, Hudson county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension-Controlling Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to tension controlling apparatus for thread machines, and particularly for spindles from which thread or strands are being unwound, the purpose being to maintain upon said spindles a drag which will cause a uniformity of tension.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of such parts of the machine as are essential to a full understanding of my invention. Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged sectional view of certain parts. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of certain parts. Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section.

1 represents a spindle having suitable bearings in a supporting frame, said bearings being indicated at 23.

4 is a spool or bobbin having thereon thread.

lVhile in machines of this character a number of spindles are provided, a description of one will be suflicient for all.

The purpose of my present invention is to secure a drag on the spindle 1 so that the thread indicated at 5, being drawn therefrom in the direction of the arrow, will be maintained at a substantially uniform tension. The thread leading from the spindle usually first passes over a guide 6; thence through an eye or loop 7 at the end of a relatively long arm 8 which actuates a brake as later described. From the eye 7 the thread leads upwardly over a suitable guide 9 and thence on to its destination. Obviously,'the upward tendency of the thread after leaving the eye 7 is to lift the arm 8. This tendency is utilized for the regulation of the braking mechanism, which, in its preferred form, is constructed as follows: 10 is a lever to which the arm 8 is connected. The lever 10 is pivoted at 11 at the rear of the spindle. 12 is a brake preferably having a brake surface 13 of suitable material, such as leather. The brake 12 is provided with side arms 1 114 which project upwardly and are pivoted at 15 to two upwardly projecting side arms 1616 at each side of the lever 10. 17 is a cone mounted upon the spindle 1. The brake 12 rests Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1911.

Patented July as, 1912.

Serial No. 668,073.

upon the surface of the cone 17 and exerts a drag on the spindle which is in direct proportion to the position of the contact point of the brake relatively to the axis of the spindle, this being variable by lifting up and down the lever 10. As shown, the brake 12 is so positioned that gravity alone is sufficient to keep it in proper contact with the cone 17, although in a broad sense the invention is not limited to employing the force of gravity for moving the brake 12 against said cone. 18 is a secondary brake pivoted at 19 to the lever 10 and arranged to rest upon the cone 17 opposite to the brake 12. The function of the secondary brake 18 is to prevent chattering, and I have found that j in practice such chattering will be prevented even though said secondary brake 18 is very much lighter than the primary brake 12. The mounting for the lever 10 may comprise a suitable frame 20 which is preferably adjustable upon the bearing 2, said adjustment being eflected in any desired way, said frame 20 being locked in adjusted position by any desired means, such as a set screw 21.

In operation, it will be seen that when the brake 12 is bearing against the cone 17 at its greatest diameter, it will cause the maximum drag upon the spindle 1. If the tension of the thread 5 should increase between the bobbin 4: and the destination of the thread, it is obvious that the arm 8 and lever 10 would be lifted, the effect of which would be to move the brake 12 up on the cone 17 and nearer to the axis of rotation thereof, thereby lessening the drag upon the spindle 1 and allowing the same to turn more freely, thus instantly freeing the back strain on the thread and bringing down the tension to the original designed tension. This action is so quick and responsive that the actual variation in tension is so minute as to be of no consequence, said tension being maintained practically uniform until the thread is entirely unwound and this irrespective of the diameter of the bobbin as determined by the outer layer of thread thereon.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular form of apparatus shown herein. For example, it is not essential that the member 17 should be cone shaped so long as it furnishes a surface as shown upon which a brake may be moved toward and away from the axis of rotation of the spindle, for, as is obvious, it is the position of the brake upon the surface against which it is acting relatively to the axis of rotation that determines the degree of dragging resistance thereto.

In a broad sense the cone or its equivalent may be referred to as a rotatable friction surface extending laterally from the axis of the spindle, and although the cone form is preferred, the invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

It is, of course, obvious that not only will the primary drag move toward the axis of the spindle as the lever 10 is elevated, but the same is true of the secondary drag by reason of the unique connections shown.

\Vhile the thread supply is ordinarily provided upon a bobbin which rests upon the spindle, it is obvious that the thread supply may be located away from the spindle itself and passed, with one or more turns, around the spindle so that any drag upon the spindle will influence the tension on the strand or thread as it leads from the spindle to its destination. In a broad sense, therefore, anything upon the spindle around which the thread passes may, broadly considered, be deemed a bobbin even though not strictly such. It will, therefore, be apparent that my invention applies equally well to a machine in which the thread is drawn from a so-called live or a dead spindle, it being immaterial, in a broad sense, whether the bobbin itself is located directly upon said spindle.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a rotatable spindle arranged to receive a bobbin having thread thereon, a rotatable friction surface extending laterally therefrom, a drag comprising a brake arranged to move across said friction surface toward and from the of the spindle, and means for moving said drag, said means being controlled by the thread or strand leading from said spindle to reduce the drag as the tension on the strand increases.

2. In a device of the character described, a rotatable spindle arranged to carry a bobbin of thread to be unwound, a drag to control the freedom of rotation of the spindle to in turn control the tension, said drag comprising a rotatable friction surface carried by the spindle and rotatable therewith, a brake movable over said surface toward and from the axis of rotation of the spindle, an arm through which the thread being withdrawn from said bobbin passes to its destination, said thread supporting said arm, and means of connection between said arm and said brake whereby variations in tension will produce variations in the position of said brake relatively to the axis of said spindle.

3. In a device of the character described,

a rotatable spindle arranged to carry a bobbin of thread to be unwound, a drag to control the freedom of rotation of the spindle to in turn control the tension, said drag comprising a rotatable friction surface carried by the spindle and rotatable therewith, a brake movable over said surface toward and from the axis of rotation of the spindle, an arm through which the thread being withdrawn from said bobbin passes to its destination, said thread supporting said arm, means of connection between said arm and said brake whereby variations in tension will produce variations in the position of said brake relatively to the axis of said spindle, and a secondary brake coacting with the first mentioned brake and arranged to bear against the friction surface on the opposite side of the spindle from said first mentioned brake.

l. In a device of the character described, a rotatable spindle arranged to carry a bobbin of thread to be unwound, a drag to control the freedom of rotation of the spindle to in turn control the tension, said drag comprising a rotatable friction surface carried by the spindle and rotatable therewith, a brake movable over said surface toward and from the axis of rotation of the spindle, an arm through which the thread being withdrawn from said bobbin passes to its destination, said thread supporting said arm, means of connection bet-ween said arm and said brake whereby variations in tension will produce variations in the position of said brake relatively to the axis of said spindle, and a secondary brake coacting with the first mentioned brake and arranged to bear against the friction surface on the opposite side of the spindle from said first mentioned brake, said secondary brake being likewise controlled by the variation in the thread tension.

5. In a device of the character described, a rotatable spindle arranged to carry a bobbin of thread to be unwound, a drag to control the freedom of rotation of the spindle to in turn control the tension, said drag comprising a rotatable friction surface carried by the spindle and rotatable therewith, a brake movable over said surface toward and from the axis of rotation of the spindle, an arm through which the thread being withdrawn from said bobbin passes to its destination, said thread supporting said arm, means of connection between said arm and said brake whereby variations in tension will produce variations in the position of said brake relatively to the axis of said spindle, and a secondary brake coacting with the first mentioned brake and arranged to bear against the friction surface on the opposite side of the spindle from said first mentioned brake, said secondary brake being likewise controlled by the variation in the thread tension and simultaneously with the first mentioned brake.

6. In a tension device for freeing spindles designed to support bobbins from which thread is to be unwound, a friction surface carried by the spindle and extending away from the axis thereof, a brake drag coacting with said friction surface and with means cont-rolled by the tension of the thread leading from the bobbin to vary the posit-ion of said brake drag on said friction surface.

7. In a tension device for freeing spindles designed to support bobbins from which thread is to be unwound, a friction surface carried by the spindle and extending away from the axis thereof, a brake drag coacting with said friction surface and with means controlled by the tension of the thread leading from the bobbin to vary the position of said brake drag on said friction surface, and a secondary brake drag bearing on said friction surface at the side of the spindle opposite the first mentioned brake drag.

8. In a device of the character described, a free spindle arranged to support bobbins from which thread is to be unwound, a cone carried by said spindle and rotatable therewith, a brake drag coacting with said cone and arranged to move toward and from the axis of the spindle, and means between the thread being withdrawn from the bobbin and said brake drag for varying the position of said brake drag simultaneously with the variation in the tension of said thread.

9. In a device of the character described, a rotatable spindle arranged to carry thread to be drawn therefrom, a rotatable friction surface extending laterally from said spindle, a drag comprising a brakearranged to move across said friction surface toward and from the axis of the spindle, means for Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

